Description
A delicious and crispy Korean Chicken Bao recipe featuring tender fried or air-fried chicken thighs glazed in a flavorful gochujang sauce, served inside soft steamed bao buns with fresh cucumber, onion, and a creamy sesame sauce for a perfect balance of flavors and textures.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Creamy Sesame Sauce
- ½ cup (125 g) whole-egg mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp all-purpose soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
For the Chicken and Coating
- 500 g (1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (can be substituted with chicken breast)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp cold water
- ½ cup (75 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ cup (60 g) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- Neutral oil of choice, for frying (light olive oil recommended)
For the Glaze
- 1 tbsp neutral oil of choice (light olive oil recommended)
- 2 tsp freshly minced garlic
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp all-purpose soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
For Assembly
- 12 store-bought bao buns
- 2 small cucumbers, thinly sliced into ribbons
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ bunch coriander (cilantro), finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Make the creamy sesame sauce: Whisk together mayonnaise, sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prepare the chicken coating: Add chicken pieces to a medium bowl along with the egg and cold water. Use tongs to mix thoroughly to coat each piece.
- Mix the flour coating: On a large sheet of baking parchment, combine plain flour, cornflour, garlic powder, sea salt flakes, and white pepper. Spread it evenly flat.
- Coat the chicken: Using tongs, remove chicken from egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Place chicken on the flour mixture on parchment paper and fold the edges to help evenly coat the chicken pieces.
- Cook the chicken: For frying: Heat neutral oil in a deep, heavy-based pan over medium heat. Fry chicken in batches for 5–6 minutes each, until golden, crispy, and cooked through. Drain on wire rack or paper towel. For air frying: Lightly spray coated chicken with neutral oil and air fry at 200°C (400°F) for 12–14 minutes, shaking halfway.
- Make the glaze: Heat oil and minced garlic in a small saucepan or non-stick pan over low heat off flame initially to prevent burning garlic. Once garlic starts gently sizzling, stir in ketchup, gochujang, honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and water. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened.
- Coat the chicken with glaze: Toss freshly cooked chicken into the glaze, ensuring each piece is evenly coated.
- Steam the bao buns: Follow packet instructions or use steaming methods. Keep steamed baos warm by covering with a clean towel and foil tent to retain softness for up to 20–25 minutes.
- Assemble the bao: Spread creamy sesame sauce inside each warm bao. Layer with cucumber ribbons, sliced red onion, coriander if using, and the glazed chicken.
- Serve: Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the assembled baos and serve immediately for best texture and flavor.
Notes
- Gochujang is a Korean chili paste that adds spiciness and depth; adjust quantity based on your preferred spice level.
- For steaming bao buns: you can use a bamboo steamer over boiling water or microwave with a damp paper towel wrapped around buns for softness if in a hurry.
- Using chicken thighs provides juicier and more flavorful results compared to chicken breast.
- Air frying provides a lighter option but yields slightly less crispy texture than frying in oil.
